Clean Energy Campaign

Clean Energy

350 Bay Area is excited to be a part of the Clean Energy movement happening around the country. You can sign up here to get involved with our campaign. Our campaign’s regular meetings will take place on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, via conference call. Our campaign is focused on advancing clean energy in California through three strategies:

Supporting legislation to raise the threshold for how much electricity in California must come from renewable sources

Advocating for policies and regulations that support rooftop solar at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)

Supporting expansion of community choice energy programs that will advance clean energy locally

UPDATE: 350 Bay Area and our allies were part of a victorious coalition that won a decision from the California Public Utilities Commission(CPUC) that will protect solar rights for all Californians. 350 Bay Area was one of a handful of grassroots groups to fully engage as an official party to the CPUC proceeding, as well as organizing grassroots activism in support of rooftop solar. 350 Bay Area representatives were quoted in a news story about the decision here.

UPDATE: 350 Bay Area was part of a broad coalition of groups in California that worked on supporting the key package of climate bills introduced in the 2015 state legislative session. This package included SB 350, SB 32, and SB 185. The signal accomplishments for the climate in this session were passing SB 350 and SB 185. SB 185 requires the state’s pension funds to divest from coal. You can read more about SB 185 on the divestment campaign page.

SB 350 (De Leon and Leno), sets two carbon reduction goals to be reached by 2030.

Require that 50% of all electricity provided by California utilities come from renewable sources by increasing the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).

Double energy efficiency in all existing buildings.

Among many potential benefits, SB 350 will:

Reduce climate pollution and improve the health of Californians. The production, refining, and the use of petroleum accounts for nearly half of greenhouse gas emissions, 80% of smog-forming pollution, and over 95% of cancer-causing diesel particulate matter.

Raise funds through the cap-and-trade program to benefit low income communities around the state that have suffered the most from the production, refining and transport of fossil fuels.

Builds on the success of California’s existing RPS, through which California has reached a point where 23% of electricity comes from renewable sources.

Demonstrate on a large scale the cost effectiveness of clean energy. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, renewable power generation costs in 2014 were either as cheap or cheaper than coal, oil, and gas-fired power plants—even without financial support and despite drops in oil prices.

You can watch some of Governor Brown’s remarks on signing SB 350 here. The original text of SB 350 called for a reduction in petroleum use by 50% by 2030, as well, but this was removed from the final bill. SB 32 set an overarching greenhouse gas emission reduction target of 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. The fight to pass SB 32 and reduce petroleum use will continue in the next legislative session!

For more information: http://focus.senate.ca.gov/sites/focus.senate.ca.gov/files/climate/505050.html)

Our campaign is dedicated to energizing ourselves and our state about the possibilities expressed in this video

It was created by a group that includes Mark Jacobson (more below), Mark Ruffalo (actor), and Josh Fox, (Gasland).

It fits the excitement and hope we feel. We hope you will join us in our campaign and become active with us.

We are mobilizing the energy of labor, youth, faith groups, environment and conservation interests, and clean energy businesses to advance groundbreaking state legislation to generate clean, local, renewable energy that protecting our health and the air we breathe. And, because its local and not polluting, it inherently addresses some of the worst of the economic and environmental injustice that exists with fossil fuels. We believe the answers to those who say we need fossil fuels is here and ready.

United with our 350 Bay Area local groups’ Clean Energy campaigns and others in 350 groups around the state, we will galvanize support for the following policies:

Strengthen our state’s commitment to clean, renewable energy by pushing the state to increase its Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to 80% by 2030. We are encouraged by the passage of SB 350 and Governor Brown signing it into law and particularly the way it incorporated some of the goals of SB 32, but all the goals fall short of what is needed and what we are fighting for.

Monitor CPUC for policy changes and fight against any that do not support a strong move towards local, community-based renewable energy and rooftop solar.

We will also work with our other campaigns to coordinate and come up with more innovative ideas.

We were inspired by Stanford University Professor Jacobson’s keynote address (watch video) at our 350 Bay Area Climate Conference in May. While long, it’s very worthwhile. Professor Jacobson’s ideas are also incorporated in the new films by Green World Rising, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and, locally produced, The Future of Energy

The panel discussion following his keynote address, moderated by Climate One’s Greg Dalton, that same night, was also quite good (watch video) and you can read The California Plan written by Mark Jacobson, et al.